Just Another Holiday Tale
by Banisters
Summary: Just like the title says. Short story about Mush trying to catch Santa.


Jack and the other newsies were chatting boisterously while sitting in the booths of Tibby's on Christmas Eve. The restaurant was warm and cheery. Most of the warmth was being provided by Mush and Jack, who were debating over the existence of Santa.

"I'm tellin' ya, Jack, Santa is real!" Mush claimed.

"No he isn't, Mush," Jack retorted.

"But…but…They named Santa Fe after him! So there! He must be real!"

"No way! If he is real, WHICH HE ISN'T, they would have named _him_ after Santa Fe. Don't mess up the facts, Mush!"

"Whatever, Jack. I'm sure he's real, I'll prove it to ya!"

"And how are ya gonna do that?"

"I'm gonna catch Santa!"

"Oh geez…"

So with much determination and the aid of other staunch Santa supporter newsies, Mush began planning on how to catch the man he admired the most. He sat on his bunk in the lodging house, furiously chewing on the end of a pencil.

"There's gotta be some way we can catch Santa…" he whispered.

"You could get cookies as bait," Blink suggested.

"And milk!" Les blurted.

"Yeah! That'll work!"

Mush got up and flew down the steps and ran outside, followed by Blink and Les. He clutched several coins in his hand. They felt like ice against his palm.

"Where are we goin'?" panted Les.

"We hafta buy dough and sugar and stuff," said Mush as he pushed open the door to a bakery. The sweet aroma of baked goods was inhaled into the three boys' bodies, causing a brief cake-induced ecstasy. Saliva was forming and Les's mouth and Blink felt envious of the cookies Santa would receive. Mush walked up to the counter and handed over the coins he'd earned over a week of selling papers. Les and Blink pressed their faces against the glass that protected the sweets from greedy mouths.

"Look at that cinnamon roll…" crooned Les.

"Look at those brownies…" Blink drooled.

"Have a good holiday," Mush thanked the bakery owner as he struggled to hold a bottle of vanilla, a bag of sugar, a sack of flour while trying to drag Blink and Les out of the store.

"What's the matter with ya, Mushy? Why are we wasting our money buyin' cookie stuff for some guy that don't exist?" Blink snapped.

"He does exist!" Mush and Les barked in unison.

"Sorry…" Blink grumbled. "But I just think we deserve to eat too…"

Mush rolled his eyes at him and walked the other way.

When the boys returned to the lodging house, their arms were full of milk, eggs, and other things for the cookies. They went into the small kitchen and started mixing the ingredients together. After awhile, Jack snuck in to agitate Mush.

"Heya Mush, how do ya knows if ya puttin' in the right amount of stuff?"

This hadn't occurred to Mush. He bit his tongue in frustration, but refused to admit he was wrong.

"I just know…"

Jack smiled and dipped his finger in the bowl of batter and tasted it. He made a disgusted face, teasingly, and grinned.

"Stop it, Jack!" Mush yelled.

"Relax, Mushy…It tastes decent, alright?"

Mush looked at Jack with a wry, skeptical expression, and tested the batter himself. He rolled his tongue around his mouth, making sure his taste buds absorbed the entire vanilla flavor.

"Lemme taste it!" squeaked Les.

"No, Les! These are for Santa!" Mush said.

"Ya sound like a child, Mush," Jack commented.

"Just because I believe in someone who-"

"Isn't real" Jack finished.

"He IS real!"

"No he isn't!"

"Yeah he is! Geez, Jack, ya talkin' like Skittery!"

"Aw, hush, Mush!"

While the two argued, Blink grabbed the bowl of doughy batter and slipped out of the kitchen, with Les on his heels. They rushed upstairs and plunged their hands into the bowl, scooping up a handful of raw cookie and shoving it into their mouths. The other newsies noticed this however, and flocked over to them, each immersing their hands in the batter.

"Come on, Blink, tell him that Santa is real!" Mush shouted. He turned around, but instead of facing his friend, was greeted by an empty kitchen.

"BLINK!" he bellowed as he stomped upstairs. Jack laughed and went with him, and went into full hysterics when he saw the other newsies. All of them were clutching the empty bowl, their lips and coated with tan colored batter.

"Those weren't for ya to eat, guys!" Mush groaned.

Blink smiled innocently at him, and handed him the bowl sheepishly.

"Well, Mush…At least we know that you can make good cookie dough"


End file.
